The way in which a vehicle fitted with passenger vehicle tires behaves is dependent on a whole host of parameters, both related to the vehicle and related to the tire-wheel assemblies. Among these parameters there is the offset of the wheels with respect to the vehicle. By changing this offset it is possible to have a significant influence on how the vehicle behaves and the driver's impressions with respect to this behavior. It is possible to change this offset by changing the wheel design or by using spacer pieces positioned between the wheel and the hub.
Within the context of developing a tire for a given vehicle, changing the model of wheel or using such spacer pieces are not always conceivable. This is because there are a number of types or brands of tire that can generally be fitted to this vehicle, but the wheel offset required in order to achieve the target behavior may differ according to the type or brand of tire.